Quick Specs

Editors' Review

As freeware system cleaners go, Magix PC Check & Tuning Free offers a good balance. Some such tools are designed to be as easy to use as possible and give you few options and not enough information about what they're doing to your system. Others overwhelm beginners with options and detailed scan reports, and they often make it too easy to delete the wrong things. The freeware version of PC Check is designed to be easy to use yet useful to people with widely varying skills, yet it also lets you perform cleaning and tune-up operations separately as well as set up easy one-click cleanups tailored to your system. While Magix PC Check & Tuning Free is freeware, free registration entitles users to extras like online storage space.

PC Check's unique interface is based on the widely familiar concept of red and green lights: Red icons indicate problems, and green icons denote cleaned and optimized features. Two huge buttons handle day-to-day operations: Check PC and Fix All Problems. We reviewed the list of scans and operations to be performed, including activating PC Check Live, a system maintenance feature. We started a scan, and a pop-up tracked each feature, displaying the items scanned and any issues found. We could click on any result for more detailed information, including selecting and deselecting items for removal. We ran each operation one by one, to make sure we knew what was going on, but PC Check completed each step quickly and without a hitch; it even optimized our system' s swap file and checked for updated drivers. The program also offers plenty of warnings to close other programs, and it gave us the option of creating a system restore point before running operations that could make drastic changes, such as cleaning the registry. We highly recommend you never skip this step unless you're absolutely sure about why you're doing it.

PC Check cleaned and optimized our system without causing any trouble, which seems like it shouldn't be a big deal, yet it is. After we'd seen what its tools do, we ran the fix-all scans with little trepidation. As always when using tools that clean and tweak your system, we recommend using all appropriate care with PC Check and Tuning Free.

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Publisher's Description

From Magix Software:
MAGIX PC Check & Tuning Free is the easiest solution for optimizing and accelerating your PC.
Speed and stability - the heart's desire of every user. Now MAGIX PC Check & Tuning is the genie granting that wish. Computers, like all devices tend to slow down after extended use, even the ones with the best hardware need maintenance. PC Check & Tuning free will return your home computer back to its original operation speed, just like it was when you took it out of the box.
The program uses a variety of professionally engineered tools that were the secret weapon of our developers for years. Now they are in the user's hands. PC Check & Tuning automatically updates out-of-date drivers, completely eradicates all traces of selected private data, and comes with better cleaning tools for the removal of browser cached and temporary files. All of this with 24/7 system monitoring that warns the user of any potential problems.

Indicated that I needed a software update for Pandora but connected me to a web site called Pose Central?? It also loaded incorrect audio drivers subsequently had to do a system restore. NO telephone technical support. When I installed it my computer began to emit a device disconnect system sound

I don't know what it is but in days gone by programs that are supposed to fix your registry and PC actually searched your PC for files and repaired your registry, these days they only delete entries they dont think belong. Almost every registry or system repair program I've used has trashed my windows requiring a restore. This program didn't crash my machine and actually with the service tweaks had my machine running a bit faster.

Cons

It still doesn't do an erstwhile repair of the registry. but seems to be conservative in its action. It will tell you if any of your drivers have updates, but it won't tell you which drivers they are or get the updates unless you upgrade to the paid version.

Seems fast and thorough. Good intentions, surely, and free. Finds insignificant 4th decimal place "updates" to obscure programs that never use.

Cons

False "need to update driver" from version 6 to version 5; locks up attempting the "update" and will not close nor allow process to be terminated, characteristic of malware. Had to force-remove with Advanced System Care 4 and reboot to clear screen.

Summary

Suggest avoiding for now. No problems with freeware of similar functions (Glary Utilities, Slim Drivers and Cleaner, etc.

I actually downloaded the trial of the full program, but during install I was advised to register in order to receive a serial number. I did this and it changed to this reduced 'free' version, which really demonstrates the stupidity of Magix management. However, I proceeded to use this 'Free' version and did a full system scan. It told me that I had about 160 errors in my registry, which surprised me considering I'd just used the Ashampoo WinOptimizer trial to clear over 60 errors. I clicked 'Next' to see the list of these 'errors', but there was no list! Instead it just started to clean these supposed 'errors' and the 'Cancel' button didn't work. Personally, I don't believe the errors actually existed.

It told me my swap-file (Virtual Memory) needed to be optimized. That was surprising considering I'd already done that (manually) some time ago. So I went into my system to check the settings. Then I ran the optimization feature and restarted my PC. I found that it had moved the swap-file from the second hard drive to the primary one! This is not optimization, it's retarded!!

It told me that I had downloaded drivers, but when I downloaded the new ones through this program it told me my 'outdated' drivers were younger than the ones I'd downloaded. Ridiculous!

If you like fiction, this program will give it to you. The more you deal with this company, the more you realise it is managed by idiots.

It also flagged two drivers needing updates, but after performing the update procedures and restarting, the same old drivers were still there!

Even software updates were way out of date and wrong.

Conclusion: it's inventing information.

This software is not only a scam, it is also bogus, and that renders it as a criminal product (fraud) according to European Union consumer law. By promoting it for download, CNet could also be held criminally complicit.

It also flagged two drivers needing updates, but after performing the update procedures and restarting, the same old drivers were still there!

Even software updates were way out of date and wrong.

Conclusion: it's inventing information.

This software is not only a scam, it is also bogus, and that renders it as a criminal product (fraud) according to European Union consumer law. By promoting it for download, CNet could also be held criminally complicit.

Updated on Dec 24, 2013

Correction to last update. First paragraph should read:

On a friend's computer, where he has the fully paid version, your software flagged 710 registry errors. Ashampoo flagged 102. After running your cleaning utility, Ashampoo then showed 100, suggesting that out of Magix's whopping 710, only two coincided with Ashampoo.

Updated on Dec 24, 2013

Correction to first paragraph. After running Magix cleaning utility, 100 errors showed in Magix, not 102.

I use this product since version one and I am really happy with it.
I read a lot of strange reviews on this page and the only thing I can say: TRY IT OUT.

TRUE: The product is totally free, it is NOT a trial. You have to register for free after 7 days to use the product unlimited. After registration you will recieve updates of the internal database of the product frequently. Beside there is also a pay-version of the product with more functions. But you do not need this. Bye the way: On Amazon.co.uk the full version has 35 reviews and 29 are positive

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Full Specifications

What's new in version 2011

Version 2011 includes improved GUI design, Software Update feature, automatic hard disk cleaning, and individual changes to system startup can be made after automatic analysis has determined possible improvements (manual deactivation/activation, including evaluation of each entry).